


Words

by thatsoccercoach



Series: Which Door? [15]
Category: Outlander & Related Fandoms, Outlander Series - Diana Gabaldon
Genre: Family Feels, Modern AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-17
Updated: 2018-04-17
Packaged: 2019-04-23 23:40:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 967
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14343408
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thatsoccercoach/pseuds/thatsoccercoach
Summary: Faith begins to flourish.





	Words

                                                             [](https://www.pinterest.com/pin/470344754827680812/)

They often spent time in the garden, Faith bound tightly against Claire’s chest, sleeping with her mother’s heartbeat as a lullaby. Those first few months were a whirlwind of both elation and exhaustion. Every tiny victory for Faith was a major one in the eyes of her parents. Small developmental advances common to every infant were life-changing moments to Jamie and Claire.

It was like that when Faith began to sleep more than two hours consecutively. When Faith had stayed in the NICU, she hadn’t nursed, Claire had pumped in order that they might feed Faith through a tiny syringe and tube in order to better monitor how much she was eating. Such small quantities didn’t hold her off for long and she’d awake at frequent intervals. When they’d brought her home and Claire was able to nurse her, Faith awoke every two hours, exactly, for what seemed like years although it was only a few weeks. One night Claire had slept for three and a half hours and had awoken so abruptly that she’d woken Jamie up as well. Panicked because she wondered if their baby had stopped breathing even though she was wearing a monitor clipped to her diaper, she had stood guard at the edge of Faith’s crib until the baby woke in spite of the presence of their video monitor and the fact they could see her.

“All is well, Sassenach,” Jamie crooned in her ear while they watched their wee lass slumber. “She’s growing and changing. This is supposed to happen, ken?”

Claire nodded stiffly, waiting for Faith to wake up. Craving the feeling of holding her close while she nursed.

All was well that time and the next. There was the time when Faith first rolled over, followed by the many times after when she rolled but still didn’t understand that she was the one doing it. Jamie had put her down for a nap but she woke squalling and angry at the injustice of her own body betraying her by turning her over in an apparently less comfortable position. He and Claire laughed gleefully at the look of total indignation on their daughter’s face.

“You may as well begin to get used to it,” Claire snickered at her agitated infant. “You’ll be a woman and your body will do all sorts of things at inconvenient times without your consent.”

Her words of wisdom went unappreciated by Faith, but Jamie chuckled at the sight of his wife and daughter “conversing” together.

Trying solid foods was another adventure they shared. “What in the world are you feeding her, Jamie? I tried butternut squash yesterday and peas the day before but she wasn’t interested at all,” Claire huffed. Partially she was miffed because Jamie had found something Faith liked and she hadn’t, but primarily she was disgusted that she’d had to clean out the food processor twice for no reason at all. Taking apart and cleaning the food processor was no joke.

“‘Tis parritch. The lass is a Scot. Seemed as if she’d take to it wi’ out a problem.”

“Of course,” Claire murmured, shaking her head in wonderment. She still had no idea why Jamie and Murtagh and the family (the entire country, actually) were so devoted to the stuff, but apparently now Faith was as well.

Faith’s first words had soon followed. Claire was hoping that her sweet girl would say “mama” first. Jamie was too. He couldn’t think of a single thing that he thought more beautiful than his Claire as mother to their child, so he too was hoping for Faith’s first words to honor that. Nobody was disappointed.

Today was a day where, once more, Faith was with Claire in their garden. Claire was naming things while Faith made nonsensical noises or continued her string of “ma-ma-mas” when she uttered the next thing that made sense, the word that her mama used while they were outside together. _Bug_.

Claire often had to brush away flying insects or remove small creepy crawlies from Faith’s vicinity, always saying things like “off you go, bug,” or “Look at that bug, Faith!”

Of course without context or other words, everything and anything was “bug” for a bit.

“I ken the lass doesna ken many words as of yet,” Jamie began prompting a noise of derisive hilarity from his wife. “But it seems as if she could manage ‘da’ if she can manage ‘bug,’” he sighed as he continued to play with his daughter on a blanket on the floor while his wife folded the never-ending laundry that came with a child on the couch.

“Bug,” Faith popped up, her back ramrod straight each time she punched out the word. “Bug, bug!” she waved her arms.  

“Yes, lovey,” Claire smiled at her. “You do love the bugs in the garden. It’s quite a fine word, isn’t it?” she crooned to her smiling daughter. “You know,” she directed her attention to Jamie. “She’ll probably take off one day and we’ll barely remember when she didn’t talk. She’s growing up so quickly.”

She sighed and Jamie feared that she was about to get weepy. Nearly the only thing that could bring Claire to tears was their precious daughter. Jamie had always known he wanted children and had looked forward to it. He reveled in watching his wife surprise herself with her reactions to being a mother. He reached a hand to her and tugged her to the floor.

“Bug, bug, bug,” Faith continued talking to her hands which she was opening and closing into fists, utterly enthralled by the fact that she was controlling them.

“Aye lass, yer mam and da can hear ye fine,” Jamie smiled. “We’ll listen to ye always.”

The next day, as they listened, Faith said “Da” for the first time.


End file.
